“Men, we don’t deserve respect. Yet. Respect is out there on the floor, just waiting for us to go get it.” 

Samuel Sooleyman lives in South Sudan and loves playing basketball. He has the chance to visit America if he makes it on an exhibition team. At tryouts, he proves to be full of heart and perseverance, but not the greatest player. However, he makes the team and gets the chance to go. While he’s there, touring and playing, his family’s village is attacked. Not knowing what he could be going back home to, he is convinced to stay in America and attend college while playing basketball.

I’ve enjoyed many Grisham books and Sooley sounded rather interesting. My husband read it and gave it a so-so review, but I wanted to see for myself what the book was about. I waited a few months for it to be available from my library as an ebook.

As Sooley gets used to American college life, he practices basketball every day, despite being red-shirted for the first season. However, injuries lead him to finally being put in for a game and he shows how much he had advanced as a player … and his whole world starts to change.

While Sooley is an interesting story, it’s a fiction story that’s written like a non-fiction story, so it falls flat in places. Instead of taking the time to tell a scene from a character’s point of view, the scene is told second hand or from a bystander. I left feeling the book could have been so much more. However, it does a good job showing the plight of several African countries and the dangers of drug use in American life.

While Sooley is a decent read, I wouldn’t highly recommend it. Fans of Grisham would be expecting something more if they picked up this book. However, I wouldn’t say to not read it … just don’t be prepared for a fantastic novel.

Buy Sooley here (affiliate link).

What novel did you read that most disappointed you? Share in the comments!